US FDA Approves IQOS Harm Reduction Tobacco Marketing... Chairman Andre Predicts "Conventional Cigarette Sales Will Disappear Within 10 Years"

Tobacco Products Unchanged for 200 Years Now Shift to Less Harmful Innovative Products
US FDA Approves IQOS MRTP... Professor Kim Byungdo Highlights "PMI's Success in a Smoke-Free Future"

Andre Calantzopoulos, Chairman of Philip Morris International (PMI)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Andr? Calantzopoulos, Chairman of Philip Morris International (PMI), emphasized that “if proper regulations are encouraged and supported by civil society, it could become a reality within about 10 to 15 years that many countries will no longer sell conventional cigarettes.”

This outlook was revealed during an online lecture given by Chairman Andr? at the World Knowledge Forum held at the Shilla Hotel Seoul on the 18th. In this session, Andr? presented on the topic of ‘How can knowledge contribute to realizing a smoke-free future?’

The session was chaired by Professor Kim Byung-do of Seoul National University’s College of Business Administration, and attended by Andr? Calantzopoulos, Chairman of PMI, Baek Young-jae, CEO of Philip Morris Korea (PMK), and Jang Young-hee, Chief Scientific Advisor of Philip Morris Korea, to discuss Philip Morris’s innovations and challenges toward a ‘smoke-free future.’

Chairman Andr? stated, “The current pandemic is making us act based on science and actively engage in dialogue to find effective solutions,” adding, “Just as the energy and automotive industries are now focusing on sustainability, similar exchanges of perspectives are needed in the tobacco and nicotine sectors.” This means that efforts to reduce harm based on science and common sense can be applied across all industries, including the tobacco industry.

Professor Kim, who chaired the session, explained, “Many companies talk about transformation aiming for fundamental change, but actual success is very rare,” noting, “This is often because innovation or challenges remain mere slogans due to realistic business constraints.” He evaluated, “By reviewing PMI and PMK’s management data, resource allocation, investment scale, and the CEO’s firm belief in the company’s vision, I became attentive to the feasibility of realizing a ‘smoke-free future.’”

In fact, in 2019, PMI spent more than 98% of its research and development budget on its non-combustible products. Chief Advisor Jang explained, “The R&D process at PMI involves scientific validation at each stage, including preclinical and clinical trials as well as post-market monitoring, similar to processes in the pharmaceutical industry, and the results are disclosed.” To date, eight preclinical studies and ten clinical studies have been conducted. Based on this extensive scientific evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the marketing of IQOS, a heated tobacco product, as a ‘Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP).’

The session also highlighted issues with the regulatory environment in Korea. Increasingly, governments and regulatory authorities in the U.S., European Union (EU), United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and other regions are revising existing regulations to leverage the potential of non-combustible products. However, in Korea, science-based discussions and regulations remain distant, causing confusion among consumers.

Baek Young-jae, CEO of Korea Philip Morris (PMK)

CEO Baek stated, “If the approach emphasizes ideology rather than science, it becomes difficult for experts to conduct transparent and constructive discussions,” urging, “Encouragement and interest from opinion leaders are necessary to establish rational regulations.”

Meanwhile, during the Q&A session, questions were raised about the tobacco company’s vision for a ‘smoke-free future.’ In response to the question, “Isn’t quitting smoking the best way for public health?” CEO Baek replied, “While smoking cessation policies are the top priority, for the millions of smokers who do not quit, we must provide scientifically based less harmful non-combustible products.” He further emphasized the company’s role by saying, “Our role is to help adult smokers switch to various scientifically proven alternative products,” highlighting the need for companies to pursue both change and balance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.